The Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN) recognized Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport as a Pediatric Level II Trauma Program on July 1, making it the first and only program in Louisiana to receive the Pediatric Trauma Program recognition.
LERN assists EMS providers and hospitals throughout North Louisiana in transporting injured children, and the Pediatric Trauma Program reinforces the highly specialized trauma care provided at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Academic Medical Center.
“Nationally, more children die of injury than of all other causes combined. For this reason, the LERN Board focused on establishing Pediatric Trauma Centers in Louisiana. As we reached out to our pediatric providers, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport embraced the need,” shared Paige Hargrove, Executive Director, Louisiana Emergency Response Network.
Another qualification of the program is community education and injury prevention, which Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport conducts through school age safety programs, a certified child passenger safety inspection and installation station, the Sudden Impact program to prevent impaired driving fatalities and injuries and Stop the Bleed.
“The Pediatric Trauma Program signifies the collaborative approach of our team including the entire trauma department, pediatric intensive care unit and injury prevention outreach programs focused on keeping the children in our region safe and providing the very best care when injuries occur. As the only Level 1 Trauma Center in North Louisiana, enhancing our pediatric trauma program aligns with the dedication and expertise found at our Academic Medical Center,” says Chuck Daigle, CEO, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport.
For more information about the LERN Trauma Care System visit http://lern.la.gov/trauma/. Information about Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport may be found at www.ochsnerlsuhs.org.
